Grave marker device



Oct. 13, 1970 B. F. KALINA GRAVE MARKER DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 26. 1968 \55 INVENTOR Ben E Kolino i 1 BY W9 2 a PIC-3.4.

FIGS.

ATTORNEY Oct. 13, 1970 a. F. KALINA GRAVE MARKER DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 26, 1968 l l UH H H HH HHH I J I I I I Illllll llF I lllll u I, i 8 L 3 3 O 4 7 4 O 5 FIG.I2.

INVENTOR Ben E Kolincl BY Mi. m

FIGJI.

ATTORNEY United States Patent Oflice 3,533,180 Patented Oct. 13, 1970 3,533,180 GRAVE MARKER DEVICE Ben F. Kalina, Bowman, N. Dak. 58623 Filed Apr. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 724,577 Int. Cl. G09f 19/00 US. Cl. ill-124.5 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention comprises a grave marker having a front and back plate member mounted inclined toward one another with side plates fitted between the front and back plate members, a spring loaded toothed member mounted to the back plate for holding flowers, with said plates being adapted to be positioned upright in a concrete base. The invention further comprises a front plate member which may also be used as a flush marker or as a recessed marker.

This invention relates to markers, more particularly the invention relates to grave markers.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel prefabricated grave marker which may be easily manufactured, assembled and mounted.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel prefabricated metal marker having a front and back plate which may be rapidly assembled to form an upright marker and which front plate portion may be employed as a flush marker or as a recessed marker.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an attractive endurable grave marker which may be inexpensively produced, and permanently placed as a grave marker and which includes means for holding flowers thereto.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds and when taken into conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the novel grave marker shown operatively assembled and mounted.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the front plate member of the grave marker invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the front plate member of the grave marker invention, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a back elevational view of the front plate of the marker invention.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of one of the side plates of the grave marker invention, with a fragmentary view of the front and back plates mounted to the side plate.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the grave marker invention.

FIG. 7 is a top plan View of the grave marker invention.

FIG. 8 is an outside back elevational view of the back plate of the marker invention.

FIG. 9 is an end elevational view of the back plate taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the flower holder on the back plate taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is an end view illustration with the front plate member being employed as a grave marker.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are fragmentary top plan views of the front plate member employed as a flush grave marker.

FIG. 14 is an end view of the front plate member being employed as a recessed marker.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a grave marker having a front and back plate member mounted inclined toward one another with side plates fitted between the front and back plate members, a spring loaded toothed member mounted to the back plate for holding flowers, with said plates being adapted to be positioned upright in a concrete base. The invention further comprises a front plate member which may also be used as a flush marker or as a recessed marker.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in FIG. 1, the novel grave marker invention 20 is illustrated as having a front plate 21, and a back plate 22, with side plates 23 and 24 of identical shape enclosing the space between the front and back plate. The front, back, and side plates are set in a rectangular concrete block or base 25.

The front plate 21 serves as a marker plate having the name of the deceased engraved on a metal strip 27. The metal strip 27 is afiixed diagonally to the front plate by a pair of non-removable screws 28. The front plate 21 also has a projecting border ridge 21'. A pair of small wing-like plates 29 and 30 are also affixed to the front face of the marker plate by non-removable screws 28, with the year date of birth and year date of death of the deceased engraved on the plates 29 and 30, respectively.

The front marker plate 21 has a pair of ridges 31 and 31' projecting along one edge of the back of the plate 21, and a similar pair of ridges 32 and 32' projecting along the other edge of the back of the plate 21 which form channels 33 and 33' for receiving the front edges of the side plates 23 and 24. The marker plate 21 also has a pair of projecting ribs 34 and 34' which project rearward from the rear face of the plate 21, with holes or bores 35 bored through the ribs 34 and 34'.

The back plate 22 also has a pair of ridges 36 and 36 along one edge of the inner face 37 of the back plate, and a similar pair of ridges 38 and. 38' along the opposite edge of the inner face 37 of the back plate 22 which ridges form channels 39 and 39' for receiving the back edges of the side plates 23 and 24. The back plate 22 also has a pair of projecting ribs 40 and 40' which project forwardly and overlap at their upper edges 42 with the upper edges 43 of the ribs 34 and 34. The ribs 40 and 40' also have bores 44, with a pair of pins 45 and 45- passing through the bores 44 in the back plate 22 and bores 35 in the front plate 21, to lock the front and back plate together.

The front plate 21 also has a solid rectangular mounting block 46 fixed to the inner face of the front plate 21. The mounting block 46 has a threaded bore 47 and a screw 48 has an enlarged head 48' recessed into the back plate and abutting the back plate with the stem 48" passing through a bore 45 and threaded into the bore 46 in the mounting block to lock the front and back plates together, with the side plates 23 fitted in the channels 33' and 39' and side plate 24 fitted in channels 33 and 39 and locked in their position shown in FIG. 1.

The back plate 22 also has an elongated toothed plate 47 with notches 48 along the inner edge adjacent the plate. The toothed plate 47 has vertical stem 49 aflixed thereto with it slidably mounted in a bore 50 of a collar 51, which collar 51 is aflixed to the inner face 37. The plate 47 and its stem 49 are spring urged downward by a spring 52 which surrounds the stern so as to hold the toothed plate downwardly against the back plate and thereby hold flowers between notches 48 and the back plate 22.

The toothed plate 47 may be manually drawn upward by drawing the plate 47 upward thereby drawing the stem 49 upward with the washer 53 at the lower end of the stem compressing the spring 52 against the lower edge 51 of the collar 51. After the notched plate 47 has been raised the flowers will be placed therebetween, Once the plate 47 is released, after the flowers have been placed, the spring 52 will draw the stem 49 and notched plate 47 downward back to their position illustrated in solid lines in FIGS. 7 and 10.

ASSEMBLY After the front and back plates 21 and 22 have been assembled and the pins 45 and 45' inserted and then the side plates 23 and 24 inserted and the screw 48 threaded into place, and the toothed plate 47 and its associated parts have been mounted, a concrete block 54 will be poured or cast as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 6, and 7. With the concrete moulded about the lower edges of the front and back plates 21 and 22 thereby locking the front and back plates to the concrete block. The concrete will also be moulded about the lower edges of the side plates 23 and 24. The front and back plates have projecting front members 55 and 56 and 57 and 58 which are moulded in the concrete block 54 to further secure the plates 21 and 22 to the block. The foot members 55 and 56 also have notched portions 59 to act as a further securement of the foot members 55 and 56 to the block 54.

The upright marker has now been assembled. The marking strip 27 and wing plates 29 and 30 may be engraved and marked at the time the marker is sold.

The front and back plates 21 and 22 may be made of cast bronze and the side plates 23 and 24 may also be made of bronze, as well as the marking strip 27, wing plate members 29 and 30, notched plate 47, and stem 49, thereby producing an attractive endurable construction for the upright marker.

The front plate 21 when cast will have a second set of legs 57' and 58 which project vertically from the lower edge of the front plate 21. The front plate 21 may be employed above as a flush marker as illustrated in FIG. 11, in which case, the legs 55 and 56 will be broken off and the lateral legs 57' and 58 will be moulded in the concrete block 60 along with the ribbed back portion of the front plate to form the flush marker as illustrated in FIGS. 11, 12, and 13..

Once the plate 21 has been moulded to the concrete block 60, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the assembled structure may be employed as a flush marker.

Also, the front plate 21 may be employed as a recessed marker by cutting off the legs 55 and 56 and sliding the front plate in the rectangular recess 61 of the concrete 62 which rectangular recess 61 will have the same length and width as the width and length of the front plate, only slightly larger, so as to receive the front plate 21 in recessed relation.

The legs 57' and 58' will act to keep the marker in parallel alignment with the outer face 63 of the concrete support when the front plate is used as a recessed marker.

Thus, it will be seen that a novel inexpensive grave marker invention has been provided which enables either an upright, flush, or recessed marker to be rapidly and inexpensively produced and assembled and which is attractive in appearance and desirable in construction.

It will be obvious that various changes and departures may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and accordingly it is not intended that the invention be limited to that specifically described in the specification but only as set forth in the appended claims wherein:

What is claimed is:

1. A grave marker device comprising a rectangular front plate having markings thereon, a rectangular back plate having flower holding means thereon, a pair of side plates having inclined edges and mounted between the front and rear plates, said front plate having a rearwardly projecting ledge portion along its top edge projecting over the top of the rear plate and over the tops of the side plates, a threaded socket mounted to the interior of said front plate, a threaded bolt extending through the rear plate and threaded into the front plate socket to hold the front and rear plates together with the side plates therebetween, said front plate and its projecting ledge portion and said rear plate having ridge means along their opposing inner side edges engaging said side plates.

2. A grave marker according to claim 1 wherein said flower holding means on said rear plate comprises a generally upright socket means mounted to said rear plate, a post slidably mounted in said socket means and extending upward at an angle to the upper surface of said rear plate, spring means urging said post downward, plate like gripping means mounted to the top of said post and urged downward by said spring means against the upper surface of said rear plate for gripping and supporting flowers therebetween.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,860,915 5/1932 Whitman 40-l24.5 1,926,468 9/1933 Vogelpohl 40-1245 2,010,246 8/1935 Slawson 47-4l.2 2,148,660 2/1939 Sweeney 40-1245 2,276,648 3/1942 Fuller 47-4l.2 2,774,162 12/1956 Porter 40124.5 3,383,787 5/1968 Lauer 40l24.5

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner W' I. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner 

